13 February 2006

It's not often a topic as broad as "what's wrong with the GOP," can be brought into perfect, crystal-clear focus by one event. Last week's Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) stripped away years of lies, spin artistry, and media-perpetuated myths to reveal the decayed reality behind the Republican's public facade. Not surprisingly, hatred was at the core of it all.

The GOoPers let their resident buffoon, Ann Coulter, get the crowd going with her customary venomous court jester routine, referring to Muslims--all in good fun, of course,--as "ragheads," snickering over the thought of killing Bill Clinton, and only warning conservative jurists of a terrorist threat to the Supreme Court.

High comedy, wouldn't you say? I can only assume she left the notecards for her immigration bit with all the "wetback" zingers, back stage.

Of course, the same audience that applauded and yukked it up over racial slurs was the very same group the Vice President of the United States was pandering to just two nights later. Maybe it's just me, but it seems that the Vice President's time would be reserved for valued supporters. If that's the case, it's a pretty interesting indicator of whom the GOP is valuing these days. If Deferment Dick's presence left any doubt as to who's being courted, the Rev. Frist erased it when he was asked for his opinion on Coulter's night at the Improv:

"I wasn't there, so I better not comment."

Think about that one for a second. The Senate majority leader wouldn't comment one way or the other on referring to Muslims as "ragheads." Apparently, in the distinguished gentleman from Tenessee's mind, either the appropriate reaction to racist comments isn't an obvious one, or he's concerned about the reaction to his weighing in on the matter.